Fresno FC at New Mexico United Match Preview

Head Coach Adam Smith and the 2019 Fresno Foxes aim to open the USL Championship in strong fashion when they visit New Mexico United tonight, Saturday, March 9th at Isotopes Park. After posting a 9W-13L-12D record in 2018 that includes just two victories away from home, the Foxes hope to make gains and achieve their first postseason berth in franchise history after an 11th-place finish in the USL Western Conference. The club returns its three top scorers in Juan Caffa (9 goals), Jemal Johnson (9) and Christian Chaney (8), while also adding the firepower and support of Jaime Chavez, Qudus Lawal and Arun Basuljevic over the offseason. That should help boost the club's offensive attack even further as it was sixth-best in the entire USL in shots taken with 507. Since the departures of Pedro Ribeiro and Rony Argueta, Fresno's midfield will transform under Basuljevic, Seth Moses, Jorge Escamilla, Hiroki Kurimoto and Emir Alihodzic. Defensively, the Foxes retained an entire back line that compiled eight clean sheets in Alex Cooper, Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Mickey Daly and Ramon Del Campo, along with CJ Cochran who returns to Fresno full time after a monthlong loan in June 2018.

Following an unbeaten preseason that saw the Foxes go 6-0, including a 2-1 win against LA Galaxy II, all that is checked at the door Saturday evening at Isotopes Park against a new, but experienced New Mexico squad that features seasoned midfielder Josh Suggs, goalkeeper Cody Mizell and 2017 USL Rookie of the Year Chris Wehan.

The Foxes will play their home opener on March 23 against Reno 1868 FC. Tickets for the full 2019 Season and single games are available now at 559-320-2525 or by visiting FresnoFC.com.

ROAD TO VICTORY

Ahead of Fresno FC's Championship season opener against New Mexico United, we mapped out the Foxes' Road to Victory:

DEMONSTRATE COMPETITIVENESS

Without question, the most glaring part of Fresno FC's unbeaten preseason was its strength of opponents. A string of 6 games over the last five weeks saw the Foxes play just one team from the USL (LA Galaxy II), another from the fourth-division NPSL (Academica SC), three NCAA programs (UC Santa Barbara), (Fresno Pacific), and (CSU Bakersfield), and local junior college Fresno City College. That's not much of a defensive challenge for a returning back line of Alex Cooper, Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Ramon Del Campo and Mickey Daly. So, these minutes matched with intra-squad scrimmages at training will need to keep the Foxes above a New Mexico side that features former Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC midfielder Josh Suggs, ex-ATL UTD 2 forward Devon Sandoval and 2017 USL Rookie of the Year Chris Wehan, along with a sellout crowd cheering behind them at Isotopes Park.

CHEMISTRY IN THE MIDFIELD

The departures of Rony Argueta, Pedro Ribeiro, Agustin Cazarez, and Danny Barrera left plenty of open spots in the Foxes midfield that head coach Adam Smith has managed to fill in the offseason. It's evident former MLS winger Jackson will take the right wing and provide another explosive force opposite of Jemal Johnson on the left. Meanwhile, at the center of the pitch, ex-NY Red Bulls homegrown player Arun Basuljevic, former Pumas UNAM and U-21 Mexican National Team player Jorge Escamilla, two-time Japan Football League MVP Hiroki Kurimoto, alongside Emir Alihodzic (Saint Louis FC) and Seth Moses (Indy Eleven) will fight for the starting positions in a crowded midfield. Whoever the pair are, they'll need to support an offense that returns four goal scorers (Jemal Johnson, Juan Pablo Caffa, Renato and Christian Chaney) and brought on two more (Jaime Chavez, Qudus Lawal).

WIN AWAY FROM HOME

The biggest eyesore from 2018: Fresno FC's away record - 2-9-6

It was the one obstacle that stopped Fresno FC from reaching the postseason. It was the late goals conceded at San Antonio (L, 1-2), Phoenix (D, 1-1), Reno (D, 1-1), Sacramento (L, 0-1) and Rio Grande Valley (L, 1-2) that ultimately kept Fresno from breaking into the upper half of the Western Conference table. That trend cannot continue in 2019 if the Foxes want to reach their first postseason, and that means leaving New Mexico with three points in hand and not a draw. It may help the Foxes that New Mexico is in the same scenario they were a year ago - an inaugural franchise that made its big debut at home. The home opener was spoiled for Fresno and now the Foxes have the chance to play spoiler, too.

Fresno FC and Nex Mexico United will kick off the 2019 USL Championship regular season at 6:30 p.m. PT. You can watch the match live on TV on channel CW 59 or online via ESPN Plus.